By Juna Xu Interiors 28.07.2025

This Is How Often You Should Actually Clean Your Mattress

It's one of the most overlooked home items that can be a breeding ground for dust mites, bacteria and fungal spores.

We all know we should be washing our bed sheets at least every fortnight to ensure all bacteria is eliminated, but what about the mattress you put these clean sheets on?

It’s true - the mattress is one of the most overlooked items when it comes to maintaining a well-cleaned home. Considering our bodies produce about half a litre of sweat and shed nearly a gram of skin every night, it can easily become a breeding ground for dust mites, bacteria and fungal spores. If we dive into specifics, a typical used mattress may be the home to anywhere between 100,000 to 10 million mites. Grossed out yet?

The good news is you don’t have to purchase a new mattress regularly to avoid this dilemma - there are simple DIY cleaning hacks you can simply do to ensure you’re slipping into a clean bed, night after night.

Here, we break down everything you need to know about keeping your mattress in tip-top shape.

How often should you get your mattress cleaned?

It’s recommended you give your mattress a proper clean every six months or once every season, to eliminate dirt and dead skills cells, and prevent the build-up of dust mites.

However, if you suffer from allergies, it might be wise to clean your mattress more frequently.

How do you clean and sanitise a mattress?

Deep cleaning a mattress takes some time but it can help protect your health and improve the quality of your sleep. Here’s how to do it…

Supplies needed:

A vacuum with an upholstery attachment
An enzyme cleaner or dish soap
White vinegar in a spray bottle
Baking soda
Cleaning cloths
Cold water

How to deep clean a mattress

1. Strip your bed sheets

Take all the sheets off your bed and give them a wash. For a guide on how to properly wash your 100% flax linen sheets, head here, and for guidance on cleaning your organic cotton sheets, read this.

2. Vacuum the mattress

Vacuum the entire surface of the mattress, including the sides, with the vacuum cleaner’s upholstery attachment. Get into all the borderline crevices to suck up any hidden dirt and dust.

3. Spot-clean any stains

(Caution: Check with the mattress care instructions before proceeding with this step.) You should never apply water or cleaning solution directly to your mattress. To remove any stains, dab some enzyme cleaner (or mix dish soap and water) onto a clean white cloth, and then blot the stained area with the cloth. Then, apply cold water to a different clean cloth and continue blotting until the stain starts to lift.

You can also find special mattress cleaning sprays at your local supermarket.

4. Sprinkle baking soda

Sprinkle baking soda over the entire top of the mattress and leave it for several hours (or even better, let it sit overnight). You can sprinkle anywhere from half a cup to the entire box over your mattress. As you let the baking soda sit into your mattress, open any windows to let light and sunshine in - the sun’s UV rays work to kill mould and bacteria.

5. Vacuum the baking soda

Once the baking soda has worked its magic, thoroughly vacuum it up.

6. Dress your bed OR flip the mattress and repeat

You could make your bed at this point (starting with a mattress protector before putting your fitted sheet on), but if you want to go the extra mile, flip the mattress and repeat steps 2-5.

There are also plenty of professional mattress cleaning services available, which you can find online.